Released in the summer of 1995, the PC title Phantasmagoria was a ground breaking title not only for Sierra On-line (Sierra mostly having been known for it's much more comedic or fantasy based Quest series games; Phantasmagoria was only the second title to reach into really 'adult' territory being beaten by a year by Gabriel Knight) but also for computer games as a whole with it's dramatic usage of full motion video and actors (Phantasmagoria is stated as being the first video game title to use a completely FMV modeled avatar for the player's control). But outside the technical spectacle of the game, the plot itself was also something revolutionary for the time with it's gruesome scenes of murder, sexuality, and strong thematic elements. The controversy it managed to accrue, such as being banned outright in Australia and not being carried by Wal-Mart, were second only to the praise it received at the time of it's release. Though by today's standards this game is considered pretty humorous and archaic, Roberta Williams (co-founder of Sierra and writer/game developer for Phantasmagoria) felt this to be one of her strongest works among many very popular titles.

Set in the present day along a quaint, small fishing village, Donald Gordon and Adrienne Delaney have just bought a rather bizarre mansion for an extremely low price. The mansion itself is a sprawling curiosity with towers, garden, and oddities throughout every room; the owner of the mansion, a magician by the name of Zoltan Carnovasch, apparently had very eccentric tastes and living arrangements which still show in the interior design and decoration of every room. But the loving couple of Don and Adrienne have just moved into the house as the game starts and have no idea of the terror that looms ahead for them in the coming 7 days as the player takes control of Adrienne through the different chapters to unravel the mystery of what happened to Zoltan. So sit back as we venture forth through the house to uncover the terror waiting for us.

Original Archived Let's Play available at the Let's Play Archive

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